Week of 1/13/25 - 1/17/25

 

Week of 1/13/25 - 1/17/25 

Good afternoon,  

Please find the updates for the week ahead below. Have a great weekend!  

Sincerely, 

Vincent Fino 

KPS Principal  

NYS 3-4 CBT Simulation: On January 23rd, all 3rd and 4th grade elementary classes will participate in the NYS 3-4 CBT (computer-based testing) simulation. This will take place in students’ classrooms and help them get familiar with the program before the state tests in April/May. The simulation should last about 25-30 minutes.  

KP Community Cookbook – Share Your Favorite Recipe! We’re excited to create a cookbook that celebrates the delicious, meaningful dishes enjoyed by our Kent Primary School families! We’d love for you to share a recipe that holds a special place in your home. Whether it's a breakfast quiche, a favorite snack, or a beloved dessert, we want to hear what makes this dish so important to you and your family. Please work with your student to reflect on why this dish is meaningful and share the recipe, including the ingredients and instructions. Please include your student’s name with the recipe (Example: Jane Smith’s Family Meat Loaf Recipe.) If possible, include a photo or drawing of the dish so we can see your culinary creations! To contribute, simply complete the Microsoft Form by 2/17. Once we have all the recipes, we'll compile them into a PDF to share with our entire KPS community. In addition, the KPSPTO will be selling hard copy versions of the cookbook. We can't wait to discover the recipes that make your family meals so special! Thank you for participating! 
 
Link to Microsoft Form: KP Community Cookbook 
 
 

Update from Nurse Venezia:  

Just a few reminders from the nurse for the new school year and as we enter the colder months: 

Please keep your child home if they are sick. 

A student must be fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication before returning to school *** If your child has a fever in the morning please keep them home from school*** 

If a student is taking an antibiotic or eye drops, they should receive at least 2 doses before returning to school.  

The student must not carry medication on the bus. If your child requires medication to be given at school, the medication must be given to the school nurse by the parent.  

All medications must be in an approved bottle with the pharmacy label.  

Also, it is a good idea for all students to have a change of clothing in their backpacks for any accidents or spills.  It is a good idea for all students to have a change in their bag regardless of age or grade, spills do happen.  I do have some extra clothes in my office, but most students would prefer their own clothes.  

Please remember to dress for the cold weather. They should wear jackets, hats and gloves as the temperatures get lower. 

If you have any questions, please let me know! Thank you for your cooperation and have a great school year! - Nurse Venezia 

 

Winter Reminder: As the temperatures begin to drop, please prepare your students with jackets, gloves, hats, and any other winter apparel so that they stay warm getting on/off the bus and during recess. If students do not have proper winter attire, they may be unable to go outside for recess.  

Attendance: Consistent attendance is essential to every student’s success. Our attendance policy is supported by the New York State Department which defines chronic absenteeism as missing 10 percent of school days; a total of 18 days throughout the school year. With our commitment to student success in mind, we are steadfast in our obligation to notify families of their child’s attendance to ensure that they are able to access their education.     

Attendance letters are mailed home periodically throughout the school year as another means to notify parents/guardians of their child’s attendance. These letters are informational and serve as a reminder that a student's success is in direct correlation to their attendance rates. All students of a compulsory age are required to be in school. If a student is absent due to illness, a parent note and/or doctor note is required for the absence to be deemed "excused." The chronic absenteeism definition of missing 18 days or more throughout the school year is regardless of whether absences are excused or unexcused.   

  Carmel Central School District is dedicated to the success of its students, and we would like to thank you for your continued support as we help shape our students and create a foundation where they can thrive. 

Sincerely,

Vincent Fino  

KPS Principal  

Kent Primary School logo #2

 

Students of the Week: 12/23/24 - 12/27/24

Congratulations to our Eagle Ticket winners! 

        

   

Latest KPS Headlines

  • A Great Start for Carmel's New Universal Pre-Kindergarten

    One group of four-year-olds served their teacher a make-believe breakfast while another played with building blocks and a third practiced cutting out pictures.

    It was a busy day in Carmel Central School District’s first Universal Pre-Kindergarten program, which started on Monday, January 6. 

    “We want to teach them everything they need to know before kindergarten, but we do it in a fun way,” said Theresa McCaffrey, Executive Director of Little Leaf preschool in Carmel.   

    Little Leaf is one of three preschool programs chosen to provide services to the 75 students who enrolled in Carmel’s first semester of universal pre-kindergarten. Creative Kids and Kids Cottage preschools are also hosting the program.

    School Superintendent Erin Meehan-Fairben made starting Universal Pre-Kindergarten one of her first goals for the district. The program, which is funded through state and federal grants, is provided at no cost to district families.

    “The benefits of early childhood education are clear, and include improved school readiness, better academic performance and a reduced achievement gap,” said Dr. Fairben, who took over as Carmel’s School Superintendent in July and got to work right away to ensure that all of Carmel’s students would have access to good preschool education. “It is an investment that lasts a lifetime.”

    Read more and see more photos

    District News

  • Third Grade Medical Students

    As a thrilling finale to their third CKLA Unit on Human Body Systems, students embraced the challenge of stepping into the shoes of first-year medical students in Aimee Pagano's 3rd grade classroom. They embarked on an exciting journey through six “medical rotations” set up throughout the classroom, which was transformed into a bustling hospital environment.   

    Dressed in isolation gowns and equipped with personal protective equipment (PPE), the students were fully immersed in their roles, carefully avoiding contamination of their work areas and the “patients” they attended to. Each activity was thoughtfully designed to deepen their understanding of human anatomy and physiology.
     
    Kent Primary School News

  • Fair Street Construction Project Update

    If you’ve driven to Carmel High School recently, you’ve likely noticed the construction on Fair Street.  

    The $30 million road improvement project, which will significantly improve safety, traffic flow and infrastructure in the area, will widen Fair Street from Simpson Road to Route 52. It will also add sidewalks and streetlights from Hill and Dale Road to Route 52, fix drainage and create an additional lane for easier turning into and out of the high school parking lot. Construction started in September after years of delays and is expected to be completed by the summer of 2026. 

    Carmel High School Principal Brian Piazza said that the construction would make the road safer in the end.  

    “The construction will create challenges traffic-wise, but at its completion, the sidewalks and an additional turning lane will greatly benefit our school and community, especially in terms of student safety,” Piazza said.  

    Michael Klenotiz, Carmel Central School District’s Supervisor of Transportation, said that good communication will go a long way toward keeping school bus traffic on schedule.  

    Read more

    District News

  • Kindness is Contagious at Kent Primary School

    Every day this month at Kent Primary School started with a dose of kindness.  

    When they see a classmate being kind, students of all grades submit kindness “Snippets” to a “Kindness Jar” across from the school office. Each day, Principal Vincent Fino picks a few snippets – or notes that describe the good deeds they’ve witnessed-- to read during morning announcements.  

    On a recent day, Fino told the students about these good deeds:  

    “I saw Joey show kindness today by letting me play with him.”  

    “I saw Riley show kindness today by giving me a tissue when I was crying.” 

    I saw Michael show kindness by helping Arthur up when he fell.”  

    This is not just a Thanksgiving holiday effort. It is part of the district’s philosophy of Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports, or PBIS. Administrators celebrate students when they show good character or kindness. It is a strategy they use to make good behavior contagious, and it's an essential part of the Carmel 6 Cs. 

    Read more and see more photos

    Kent Primary School News

  • A Spooky Way to Learn

    For the week before Halloween, the Kent Primary School gymnasium becomes a Spooky Obstacle Course. The gym is set up with inflatable monsters, Minions, tunnels, ghosts and more.

    With all the laughter and excitement in the gym, it might have been hard to tell that there was real skill-building going on. But learning while having fun was just the point.

    “The students learned to navigate the obstacle course using physical skills like over, under through, in and out,” said Physical Education Teacher Rochelle Lhotan. “It also helps them learn to follow rules. They know to take one swing and stop, climb in and out of the donut and crawl like a puppy dog through the tunnel.”

    It’s hard to beat the feeling of flying through the air.

    “I liked the Lava Jump,” said Cooper, a kindergartner in Jennifer Byrd’s class. “It’s so fun. When I landed on the mattress, I did a flip.

    Read more and see more photos

    Kent Primary School News

  • Thankful for Senior Citizens

    The Senior Thanksgiving Luncheon sponsored by The Carmel Teachers’ Association was a big success with the guests praising the traditional turkey, mashed potatoes, vegetables and, of course, pumpkin pie.  

    Most of all, however, the senior citizens who came to Carmel High School, George Fischer Middle School and Matthew Paterson Elementary School were glad to return to schools that many of their children (and some of them) attended and to see friends from the throughout the community. 

    “We love our seniors,” said Alice Holzmann, the Family and Consumer Science teacher at George Fischer Middle School. “And they love this event.” 

    Read more and see more photos

    District News

  • Students Write with Their Senses

    “A few years ago, my mom and I made bread,” Liara wrote. “It was so fluffy, and I remember it came out soft. I couldn’t wait to eat it.  I carried the flour to the counter. It was so heavy it felt like a huge weight on my hands. “It’s so heavy,” I exclaimed.  

    Fourth grader Liara grabbed her teacher’s attention with those opening lines of her Food Experience story.   

    “To write the Food Experience story, the students had to use sensory details and tell what things looked and felt like, and how they smelled and tasted,” said Amy Constantinides, who teaches fourth grade at Kent Primary School. “They also had to organize events in sequential order. It’s a good writing experience.” 

    The lesson stems from the Carmel Central School District’s new reading program Core Knowledge Language Arts, or CKLA. The district implemented the program last year in kindergarten through fifth grades with an extension of the program in sixth grade. The approach is based on research into the science of reading, which has shown that students have greater success when rules for phonics, decoding and writing are explicitly spelled out, Assistant Superintendent for Instruction Lauren Santabarbara said.     

    Read more and see more photos

    Kent Primary School News

  • A Thank You to the Board of Education

    The week of October 14 is School Board Recognition Week, but Superintendent of Schools Dr. Erin Meehan-Fairben thanked the Board of Education for their service a few days early, during the Board of Ed meeting on Octobert 8th. 
    "I know we are a little early, but I just wanted to take the chance to thank you for all you do," Dr. Fairben said. 
    Then she showed a surprise video that was created by students in Tim Raney’s Video Production class at Carmel High School, who included children from all five school buildings.    
    CHS Senior Kasey Carboy led the project. She wrote the outline, filmed and edited the video, which was her first project as lead.
    Seniors Ivy Kolovik and Dan Fanceschi assisted Kasey with filming at the various school buildings. 
     
    District News
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Announcements

  • School Dismissal Manager is here! Download & begin using the APP.

    All parents should have received their credentials via email.  Please check your SPAM/Junk email if you have not.  If you still cannot find the email, please contact Mrs. Murray in the Main Office at 845-225-5025 X342.  We already began using this application for dismissal changes, and it is working beautifully.  Take advantage of this "soft launch!"  In the fall, use of this application will be mandatory for all students' dismissal changes.  

    For an overview, please see The School Dismissal Manager Website

    Kent Primary School
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Upcoming Events

  • Martin Luther King Jr. Day

    Martin Luther King Jr. Day

    Schools and Offices Closed

    Carmel Central School District

  • Asian Lunar New Year

    Asian Lunar New Year

    Schools and Offices Closed

    Carmel Central School District

  • KPS Bingo

    Kent Primary School

  • Elementary Trimester Ends

    Carmel Central School District

  • Presidents Day

    Schools and Offices Closed

    Carmel Central School District
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Kent Primary School Mission Statement

We are a community that is dedicated to developing and inspiring children to be their best selves in all aspects of their lives.

Who We Are:
We are a cohesive community of professionals with a strong sense of family that possess, celebrate and share our unique and individual strengths. We share a common focus to help, facilitate and encourage young minds to grow and fulfill their potential. As facilitators of learning, we utilize a multitude of resources to model and promote these desired outcomes. A strong cohesive community.

What We Do:
As an academic institution we contribute to the development of minds through inspiring children to create and pursue their own goals and objectives. We accomplish this by creating a welcoming, nurturing and trusting environment for all that empowers children to work alongside their peers, regardless of limitations, ultimately becoming independent lifelong learners.  Foster personal and academic growth.

Who We Do It For:
Our service is focused on the children who will develop a solid foundation of skills, knowledge and values, maximizing their individual potential along the way. This will in turn contribute to the perpetual improvement of society. Our children.

Why We Do It:
As we practice our deep commitment to learning, we accept the roles we fulfill because we understand that children require a safe, positive environment in which to develop into self-motivated and socially appropriate adults. We realize that fulfilling these responsibilities has an even greater benefit to all of us as a growing and ever evolving global community. To inspire children to be their best in all aspects of their lives